1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to building structures.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In manufacturing facilities, it is commonplace to protect parts and assemblies during manufacturing from airborne contaminants, such as dust, particles, water, etc., so as to prevent such contaminants from contacting the parts during assembly or during idle downtime. This is particularly important in painting, spraying and coating operations which require extreme cleanliness of the prepared surface before painting, etc., and protection of the painted surface until the paint has completely dried.
To accomplish this, it is common to surround painting and spraying areas in a manufacturing facility with an enclosure to retain airborne paint particles within the enclosure and to prevent other contaminants from contacting the part surfaces. Such enclosures typically incorporate a skeletal framework of spaced, interconnected members to which a number of frame panels, typically rigid members made of steel or other material, are mounted.
While the use of such a building structure is effective at containing the airborne particles within a given area or protecting parts from airborne contaminants, the cost of such a rigid panel enclosure is high especially since long distances must be covered and considerable installation time is required to install the framework in the manufacturing facility and to attach the rigid panels thereto. The high cost of previously devised enclosures has prevented their use over large portions of conveyor lines in manufacturing plants and, thus, the parts are left unprotected after painting, spraying, coating, etc., and between initial surface preparation and painting etc., and are vulnerable to dust, water and other airborne contaminants.
Building structures have also been designed for other applications, such as greenhouses, tents, etc., which use a single, flexible sheet or cover which is placed over and attached to a skelatal framework. This building structure also forms an effective containment shield or barrier surrounding a given area. However, it has been found that it is difficult and time consuming to install a large, single piece cover to a large skeletal framework. This increases installation time and adds to overall manufacturing costs.
Thus, it would be desirable to provide a containment shield which can be installed at the use site in a minimum amount of time. It would also be desirable to provide a contaminant shield which has reduced manufacturing costs. It would also be desirable to provide a contaminant shield which does not require a skeletal framework to be installed at the use site for attachment of rigid frame panels thereto. Finally, it would be desirable to provide a contaminant shield which can be constructed in any configuration for widespread use in many different applications.